You're Funny! You Should Be A Comedian!

I think it would be funny if a transvesite were missing and they put their face on a carton of Half and Half.

Good jokes are not easy to write. Its a skill set that needs to be learned. Would be comedians discover this fact at open mic nights at stand up comedy stages everywhere. Even the funniest of people need to learn how to write good, original jokes or stories full of jokes in order to make strangers laugh.

I hear people say that you shouldn't take a comedy class because it's a waste of money. I say that a good comedy class is worth the money, just like any vocational course. A bad comedy class is a waste of time and money. So, how do you know if you should take a class and how do you pick a good class, with a good instructor?

First of all, if you've been told your whole life that you're funny, and not just by family members, you should take a class. Too many times people who are told by their family members that they should be a comedian, get on stage and eat it like a plow horse. They blame the audience and walk away, bitter at the thought that they just didn't get it.

The truth is that the audience doesn't know your uncle Gustavo, or the crazy, funny things he does. Your family does, so they laugh hard when you talk about him or do an impression of him. We only have to watch American Idol auditions to see what happens when family members convince untalented singers that they have what it takes to make it in the business. They are stunned, hurt and angry when they are rejected by the judges. Meanwhile, the audience tries to control the bleeding in their ears.

Actors take acting classes. Singers take singing lessons. Pianists take piano lessons. Why wouldn't a fledgling comedian take comedy classes? Sure, you can get stage time and bomb time after time and maybe you'll learn the art and maybe you won't. Why go through the uncertainty?

To be an effective performer on a stand up comedy stage, you have to know how to develop a persona; who are you going to be on stage. Will you be yourself? A character? A one liner comedian like Rodney Dangerfield or Steven Wright, or perhaps a story teller like Bill Cosby? Maybe a zany character like Steve Martin, or a wild improvisational ranter like Robin Williams?

It is imperative to decide the best persona. If you don't, you'll never learn how to write material that works for you consistently, which is a must to be successful in this wacky business.

How do you handle hecklers? Do you attack them with venom and vulgarity? Do you ignore them? Try to embarrass them? There are skills to learn in handling hecklers. The way a comedian chooses to handle a heckler can make or break a show. If the performer is too harsh, the audience will turn on them and take the side of the heckler. To soft and the heckler won't shut up.

What if my mind goes blank and I can't remember my material? That's a very scary thought, isn't it?

There is so much to learn and there is so much to learn. There's no such thing as a natural born comedian. I have three children, and I've been in the delivery room during each one and I have yet to see a doctor hold one up, slap it on the behind and say, "Look! It's a comedian"!

I've taught hundreds of people the basics in the art of stand up comedy. Many have gone on to be very successful. Google some names, like Todd Johnson, Bengt Washburn or Ron Ruhman. These are just three of my participants who have gone on to be successful. There are many more.

Get my book," You're Funny! You Should Be A Comedian!" at Amazon.com. Just search my name or the title. You'll be glad you did.

See you tomorrow.

My books: Amazon.com
Facebook: Jerry Mabbott
Twitter: @jmabbott
Blog: jmabbott.blogspot.com